Cubs Holidays
As I have glanced back at the month of May for Chicago Cubs history nuggets, I have decided that the club should have holidays to commemorate events that occured on certain days. To wit: May 12: In 1955, Sam "Toothpick" Jones pitched a no-hiter against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Jones walked the first three batters on the ninth inning -- I recall ex-Cub Preston Ward, outfielder Tom Saffell, and I believe future Cub Frank Thomas. Cubs manager Stan Hack - who replaced another former Cub great Phil Cavaretta as the Chicago skipper during spring training of '54 - came out to the mound for a conference. No, he didn't ask Jones, "Why the long face?" but Hack made the decision to keep Jones in the Game. He then proceeded to strike out the next three batters and get the no-hitter. After the game, WGN announcer Harry Creighton, fought his way through the mob on the field, microphone in hand, and asked Jones, "Sam, how's the family?" Certainly a great TV moment. The Jones no-hitter was the last one at Wrigley Field until 1972 when Milt Pappas no-hit the San Diego Padres after retiring 26 men in a row, walking pinch-hitter Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch, and then inducing Gerr Jestadt, ex-Cub, to pop out to second baseman CArmen Fanzone for the last out of a near-perfect game. May 12: We move ahead 15 years to 1970. Without a You Tube bit to share, I will quote the great Jack Brickhouse: "Jarvis fires away. That's a fly ball -- deep to left -- back -- back -- THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! HE DID IT! HEY-HEY!!! Ernie Banks got number 500! A line shot to the seats in left . . . Everybody on your feet! This is it! Whoo boy!" Ernie signed with the Cubs at the end of the 1953 season. A star for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues, Banks made an almost immediate impact as a power hitter for the Cubs. Not particuarly big or strong, Ernie's bat and wrists had a way of reaching the left-center field bleachers at the Friendly Confines like no one had ever seen. Playing the handle of his bat like a flautist, Banks would see the ball and hit it. Bat moving, wrists snapping, HEY! HEY! Attaboy, Ernie! He smacked 44 roundtrippers in 1955 and had hit the first grand slam of his career the day before Jones's no-hitter. Banks ended his career with 512 home runs, 12 of them with the bases loaded and five grand salamis during the 1955 season alone. Banks went on to win consecutive National League MVP awards in 1958 and 1959 playing for Cub teams that lost more games than they won. At age 38, the "Let's Play Two" kids turned aging veteran had one shot at a World Series but the Cubs could not hold off the charging Mets who won it all. Banks still cracked 23 home runs and drove in 106 runs. By 1970, the year of 500, his knees were gone and Banks played sparingly through 1971. His last game at Wrigley Field was Sept. 26, 1971, ending a 19-year career where his smile and his performance brought smiles to many Cub fans and baseball fans in general. Banks turned 80 on January 31 and continues to represent baseball and the Cubs at the ballpark and on the airwaves. May 13: This should be a Polish-American day in honor of Stan "The Man" Musial, who recorded his 3,000th career base hit on May 13, 1958 at Wrigely Field against the Cubs, facing Ozanna, Poland native Moe Drabowsky. Musial had an amazing career, beginning in 1941 when Boston Braves manager Casey Stengel saw Musial get five hits in a doubleheader and predicted he would last 15 or 20 years. Musial lasted 23 with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning seven batting titles, leading the National League hits six times, and whacking 40 or more doubles nine times. In leading St. Louis to the 1946 world championship, Musial led the league in at bats (624), hits (228), doubles (50), triples (20), runs scored (124), batting average (.365) and slugging percentage (.587). And forget all that over-30, over the hill stuff. Musial was 32 in 1953 when he played in 157 games (yes, the entire schedule plus three rainouts), hammered 53 doubles of his 200 hits and had 30 home runs. Nine years later, in 1962, Musial played less often but still hit .330 with 19 home runs and 82 RBI in only 119 games. Oh yes, when used as a lefthanded pinch-hitter, Stan "The Man" was eight for 13. The forgotten man in the story is Moe Drabowsky. A journeyman pitcher most of his career who also fought through various arm miseries, the Cubs had high expectations for the kid from Poland. Teamed with flamethrower Dick Drott on the 1957 Cubs, Drabowsky went 13-15 and fanned 170 batters in 239 innings. That season included Moe's high marks for starts, complete games, wins, strikeouts -- even bases on balls and losses. He was a mainstay as Bob Scheffing, the ex-Cub catcher turned manager, worked to build a pitching staff to support the sluggers who would slam 182 homers in 1958. It didn't work out. Drabowsky was 9-11 in 1958 and 5-10 in 1959. injuries relegated Moe to the bullpen aand he did not become a starter again until 1963 with the Kansas City Athletics. After three years of undistinguished work, the Baltimore Orioles saw something in him and signed him as a middle relief pitcher in 1966. Drabowsky was 6-0 on the world champions with seven saves. Bauer's Boys may not have worn the crown at all if not for Drabowsky's amazing performance in the 1966 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Drabowsky rescued young lefty Dave McNally in the third inning and blanked the Dodgers the rest of the way with six and two-thirds innings of sparkling relief work, striking out 11. The performance set the tone for the series as the Dodgers never scored again and the Orioles won the Series four gmes to none. Drabowsky lasted another six years in the majors as a relief pitcher in both leagues, thanks to one day in the Los Angeles sun when Moe put on a show.